The station area in Vilnius is the fifth coolest neighbourhood in the world, according to the culture and lifestyle magazine Time Out.
Time Out polled 27,000 city-dwellers worldwide and asked local experts to assess the best neighbourhoods for food, fun, culture, and community. It then ranked 49 city districts based on the results of the annual Time Out Index.
Vilnius’s station area came in fifth, just below neighbourhoods in Copenhagen, Chicago, Seoul and Edinburgh, but topping districts in New York, Hong Kong, and other major cities.
“With self-proclaimed ‘Artists’ Republic’ Užupis now very much gentrified, Vilnius’s creative soul resides in the Station District,” Time Out wrote.
“Here you’ll find the city’s best street art: murals, giant Tony Sopranos and sculptures jammed onto neoclassical buildings,” it added.
The magazine suggested sampling international cuisine at Halės market, having a drink at Peronas bar “literally on the station platform”, or visiting a gig at Loftas Art Factory, “a Soviet factory that’s been turned into a sprawling community-oriented venue”.
Huw Oliver, Time Out editor, personally visited Vilnius in September.
“I had a wonderful time in Vilnius. The sheer number of things to do in this city is almost bewildering,” Oliver said. “The city has much more to offer than could be expected, knowing its modest size.”
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